DXF file format and silicon machining
Posted by
Elliot Burke
on 1999-07-07 11:45:57 UTC
since someone asked, I'll say a few words about the DXF format.
It is a text file, so feel free to look at one in a text editor and edit to
see what happens.
The standard is owned by Autodesk, and they change it at their whim. Most
non-Autodesk applications that import and export DXF use an older release,
and don't read the new stuff that AutoDesk has put into the files. For most
purposes the older file format DXF is fine, and Autodesk applications can be
made to export the older formats so it can be read by other programs.
A header in the file describes fonts, colors, etc. Most simple objects are
described with a single line.
I've written programs that read and write DXF files, and if only a few types
of objects are needed, this is pretty simple and reliable.
DXF supports 3D dimensions, and a few 3D objects (wireframes).
On another subject, that of patterning silicon with a CAD machine, don't
give up on using a blue laser. Diode lasers of 400 nm (violet) wavelength
are being shipped now, and will be a matter of a year or two until they are
less than $100 each, on their way to $10 and $1. These will work fine for
patterning photoresist, might make features on the 300 nm width scale, if
all tricks of off axis illumination and partial coherence are used. The
chemistry bit is probably the hard part.
Maybe there are other applications for patterned silicon than CPU's.
Sensors, for example, optical, chemical, biological.
Elliot Burke
It is a text file, so feel free to look at one in a text editor and edit to
see what happens.
The standard is owned by Autodesk, and they change it at their whim. Most
non-Autodesk applications that import and export DXF use an older release,
and don't read the new stuff that AutoDesk has put into the files. For most
purposes the older file format DXF is fine, and Autodesk applications can be
made to export the older formats so it can be read by other programs.
A header in the file describes fonts, colors, etc. Most simple objects are
described with a single line.
I've written programs that read and write DXF files, and if only a few types
of objects are needed, this is pretty simple and reliable.
DXF supports 3D dimensions, and a few 3D objects (wireframes).
On another subject, that of patterning silicon with a CAD machine, don't
give up on using a blue laser. Diode lasers of 400 nm (violet) wavelength
are being shipped now, and will be a matter of a year or two until they are
less than $100 each, on their way to $10 and $1. These will work fine for
patterning photoresist, might make features on the 300 nm width scale, if
all tricks of off axis illumination and partial coherence are used. The
chemistry bit is probably the hard part.
Maybe there are other applications for patterned silicon than CPU's.
Sensors, for example, optical, chemical, biological.
Elliot Burke